Affiliations: Sunnaas Rehabilitation Hospital, Nesoddtangen,
Norway | Centre for Research and Development, Uppsala
University, County Council of Gävleborg, Sweden
Abstract: Objective: The purpose was to explore and describe the everyday life
experiences among people with a disability pension and their expectations for
future occupational life. Participants: A purposeful sample of 14 men and
women were interviewed. Of these, ten people received full-time disability
pension and four people were on partial disability pension while working part
time. Methods and Results: A content analysis approach revealed three
themes: strategies for handling a changed life situation, adaptations to
remaining functional capacity, and expectations on future occupational life.
Initially, leaving the work market entailed a period of emotional discomfort.
To help handle this discomfort, structures for participation and performance
came to signify a balanced everyday life. Conclusions: The central conclusion drawn is that the informants with full-time disability pension
reconciled themselves to their situation, changing their conception of what
life on a disability pension means, while those informants who worked part-time
saw their future role as that of worker. Thus, being employed constitutes one
factor that promotes a future work career. Another factor related to work
capacity is the need for balance between paid work and domestic work reported
by disability pensioners working part-time. This area could serve as a point of
departure for work rehabilitation.
